Quick rehash of what's gone down in my past 12 months
July - After recently breaking up with Al as housemates (miss you bro) I went to Nowra with Jacqui and met up with KP, Sutter and Mick Wells. It was rad although didn't tick much. I did manage to flash some classics on my last day, including Ain't No Sunshine, 28. Then it rained.
August - Looked for a place with Al, big enough for the MasterChef and I to build a woody, and hopefully prevent Jacqui returning to Germany = FAIL
Sept - Moved into Napier St with KP; built Hangboard and cleaned up the backyard.
Oct - Dec - work took over as I was coming up to Qualification Panel exams. Jacqui had gone back to Germany to study, so I was brokenhearted and in a slump. Climbing was centred on Little Hands Cave where we've established 3 routes and 4 projects there. I repeated Sutter's testpiece Steel on Steel, 28 (originally 27 but consensus = upgrade) and put up my own unrepeated Substance D, 29; a 12 meter long, bouldery roof, with a 6 move crux that is RAD......could be harder???
Big Al's photo of Me on Wild Orchids, 30 - early attempt with Wetnuts at the Belay!Jan - too hot to climb, but spent some time at Stapleton with Mick and his Girlfriend Nicky who I had met back in Nowra. Not much climbing got done, but managed to do some training laps of Tyranny 28/29 in 42 degree heat = dumb idea. I had to take 2 days off due to heat exhaustion.
Feb - Busted my arse and worked heaps of overtime to take 12 days off and headed to Thailand to catch up with Jacqui which was bloody awesome. Managed to get 3 mornings of climbing in at Ton Sai. Met up with my good mate Lawry Dermody, Adelaide expat now living in Stockholm with Emilee his girlfriend. Lawry and Em were at the beginning of a 5 month Asia/Australia climbing trip. Routes wise, I got a up a handful of 28's and 29's and squeezed in a send of Old Chicken Makes Good Soup, 30/8a+ with about 20 mins before boarding the boat outta there. Rest of my trip was scuba diving and hanging out with Jacqui.
Ton Sai Bay March - Endurance Training, at Bayside and Spurt. Repeated classics including Fabio's Route, 29; one of my favourites. Temperatures however were bloody hot!
April - Competed at Victorian State Titles held at Bayside Rock. This was the first competition climbing I had done in 9 years, excluding bouldering comps that is. I was so nervous....I think I had put a lot of pressure on myself, going in quietly confident (unusual for me). This probably didn't do me any favours. All day I felt as though I was on speed......heart racing at 120 beats/min even when resting, not that I condone taking drugs kids. Nervous energy sucks, almost shook myself off the wall during the first heat. Its also really tiring. I had eaten all my food by the second heat and even fell asleep during the isolation before the final. All that said and done, I was able to make one move slightly more controlled than Sean Powell from NSW and came away with a victory. In the end it was a great suprise. Not only that, it was also the first time my family had come to see me climb (luckily it was only the final). I was super stoked!
All comp photos care of JP photography http://www.jpowerphoto.com/
Since I missed out on easter cause of workin some crazy shifts, I headed up to Blackheath in the Blue Moutains and had a blast. Again not ticking anything, but tried some cool routes. My aim had been to try and onsight routes or within one or two shots, something I struggle with. I also managed to catch up with a bunch of old friends and great people. Lawry and Em had rented a house so stayed with them. It was great to see Benny
Boy, Elmar , Kat and most of the former Vic Scene; Philipa, Christoph, Jules, Vince and Helen. Those few days have reignited my desire to eventually move up.
May - The weather had started to get more stable in the Grampians, so we hit up the northern sectors on mid week day trips, as the south was still subject to road closures. I had some fitness under my belt from the month prior, and managed to get up two Nathan Hoette Spurt Wall gems; firstly the seldom attempted The Nipple Cripple, 30 and then a week or so later Spurted, 31. The later being a link up of Tyranny and Lifestyling and some really cool climbing. My attention was going to turn to Who's a Naughty Boy Then, however it began to rain again on the one weekend I had up there. Therefore focus turned towards the smaller rocks. I managed to get myself up Butcher's Choice, V10 during one of the most enjoyable bouldering sessions I've had in a long time. Lawry (now in the Grampians) and Samey from Canada, also jumping onboard the send train.
May - The weather had started to get more stable in the Grampians, so we hit up the northern sectors on mid week day trips, as the south was still subject to road closures. I had some fitness under my belt from the month prior, and managed to get up two Nathan Hoette Spurt Wall gems; firstly the seldom attempted The Nipple Cripple, 30 and then a week or so later Spurted, 31. The later being a link up of Tyranny and Lifestyling and some really cool climbing. My attention was going to turn to Who's a Naughty Boy Then, however it began to rain again on the one weekend I had up there. Therefore focus turned towards the smaller rocks. I managed to get myself up Butcher's Choice, V10 during one of the most enjoyable bouldering sessions I've had in a long time. Lawry (now in the Grampians) and Samey from Canada, also jumping onboard the send train.
The Cripple Nipple, 30 - Mayumi Knight's Photo post tick.Ok so that was more long winded than I had first thought. Now we get to June and the here and now. Well, some time ago I decided that my next leave block was to go climbing somewhere new. At the time a South African mate, Mickey, was staying in Melb. Talk of the Rocklands bouldering got me wet....on the finger tips that is. So as with all half arsed plans I come up with, I booked tickets within a couple days. Boy I am fucking amped now though. Originally I had planned to go on my own and meet up with Dave 'Wetnuts' Wetmore (former pinup boy of COC Aust.) from the states. Fast forward to now and I am heading over with Omar 'Slowpoke' Cortez, and meeting with Elmar Jerg and Damian from the Blue Mtns and Mick and Nicky from Adelaide. Fuck its going to be awesome. I'll have a month to go to a boudering in a climbers paradise. Sandstone blocks that look like those in the Gramps, only bigger and more abundant. This will be my first bouldering trip since Castle Hill (NZ) in 2007 - which was an awesome adventure in its own right.
Quick News Flash - Lawry continues to rip up the Grampians and is very close to Groove Train, 33 (if he can find a belayer). Byron Glover (NSW wunderkind) and Samey Lacombe have been ripping up the Gramps with sends of Lifestyling 30, and Sleepy Hollow, V11 and Who's A Naughty Boy Then?, 31 and Butcher's Choice, V10 respectivly - fucking sick!!
Local Heros Sutter and KP have put up some new routes in the past week. Sutter has cleaned up a Muline classic, Peruvian Thumbs, 31 and KP has clutched grunted and locked through his Cum Agendas.....I mean Young Offenders, 28 at Cut Lunch Walls. Nice One boys! Adam Demmert has completed his extension to Rage, 29 on Taipain to give Angst at the same grade. And last but be no means least, Steve 'Silent but Deadly' Pollard has continued his reign of fury with recent ticks of Punks in the Gym, 32 and Lifestyling 30 in as many days. Then only last week, after Lawry and I spent 3 layers of skin unlocking the Butcher's Choice, Steve manages to flash the bastard for his personal best flash - V10. Holy shit-balls batman this guy's on fire!!!
Ok next post will probably be from South Africa......no doubt once I'm back in the swing of things, there'll be more of my usual bullshit wit and slander. Until then, peace out.
- Grosey
No comments:
Post a Comment